Culture-dependent examination of the bacteriological quality of ready-to-eat African salads in Enugu metropolis, Nigeria and antibiotic resistance profile of associated bacteria

This study investigated the bacteriological quality of ready-to-eat (RTE) African salads in Enugu metropolis, Enugu, Nigeria. A total of 10 samples of African salad were purchased from 10 different vendors in Enugu metropolis. The samples were purchased from Agbani Road, Ogbete, Mayor, Uwani, Kenyatta, Achara Layout, Obiagu and Timber. Isolation and enumeration of bacterial isolates were done using Nutrient agar, Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar, Thiosulphate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose (TCBS) agar, Salmonella-Shigella Agar (SSA) and MacConkey agar, following standard methods. Identification of the bacterial isolates were done through biochemical tests and the Analytical Profile Index (API 20E) test kit. The antibiotic sensitivity of the bacterial isolates was also done using the Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Total culturable heterotrophic count was above 300 colonies across the samples. The highest bacterial counts recorded on EMB, SSA and TCBS across the samples were 6.3 × 10(6) CFU/g, 7.4 × 10(6) CFU/g and 1.21 × 10(7) CFU/g respectively. The identities of the organisms were; Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Vibrio mimicus, Vibrio fluvialis, Vibrio cholerae, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio hollisae. The prevalent organism across the samples was Vibrio spp. The antibiotic sensitivity test suggested that Vibrio spp. was resistant to Ampiclox and Amoxycillin but sensitive to Erythromycin, Pefloxacin and Septrin. From this study, it was discovered that consumers of RTE African salad from majority of the vendors across Enugu metropolis are at risk of severe food poisoning.